As a home computer owner, one of the greatest threats to yourinformation and to your wallet, is hard disk failure. When yourdrive crashes, you will quicky realize how valuable theinformation you can no longer access is.

And when you start searching for disaster recovery services,you will be surprised how much it will cost to recover thatdata. Here are a few tips to help you prevent a data disaster onyour harddisk.

1. If you have an older hard drive, be sure to run free toolslike Data Lifeguard software to check the current condition ofyour drive. By discovering any problems before they crash yourdisk, you'll have a chance to copy your information before allis lost.

2. When the time comes to copy your data from one disk toanother, remember to keep the old hard disk. You'll want to makesure you have a backup while you give your new drive some timeto make sure it is running well.

3. Even on new computers, files on your hard drive can becomedisorganized over time. Make sure to run your favoritedefragmentation program regularly.

4. Partioning your disk can also help improve performance. Makesure to do this from within your operating system if your diskalready has partitions on it. This can often be done throughyour operating systems management console.

5. Do not ignore any problems that crop up. If your computerstarts acting strangely, running slower, or giving your errormessages, run a scan disk or CHKDSK immediately. Remember, itwill be much cheaper to repair your hard drive prior to a totalcrash!

If you think taking the extra time to follow these steps tocare for your hard disk seems time consuming, I recommend youcheck out the cost of harddisk data recovery. You'll quicklyrealize the value of these tips!